The Otago Chess Club is playing host to the strongest tournament held in Dunedin for nearly a decade with the 2007 Queen's Birthday Weekend Open. 40 players throughout the country are registered to play in the event which is doubling as a celebration of 50 years of competitive chess at club level and beyond for local FM Richard Sutton.
Of those aiming for the $1500 first prize will be the joint winner of the Wellington Easter Open in April. Nic Croad has regularly journeyed South to compete in the Dunedin event and will be seeking his third consecutive victory. He shared first place in Wellington with FM Stephen Lukey on 5/6, a result that should earn Croad the Fide Master title. Next were Peter Stuart and Daniel Baider equal third on 4½, while sharing fifth in the field of 33 were Ross Jackson, Brian Nijman, Justin Davis and Fuatai Fuatai all on 4 points. Stuart, Jackson and Nijman will also be among the starters on Queen's Birthday.
Today's game is the critical round 5 match-up between Lukey and Croad (Black) in Wellington. The annotations were kindly provided by the winner.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Be7 8. e4 Nxc3 9. bxc3 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Qc7 12. Qe2 Re8?!
The start of a passive and dubious plan. Now White gets a dangerous attacking position. 13. Re1 g6 14. h4 Bf6 15. Bh6 Nc6 16. e5 Bg7 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. h5 Ne7 19. hxg6? ---
I did not consider the White attack threatening if I could exchange my light squared bishop for the knight on f3, so 19 Ng5 preserves the valuable attacking piece. White can follow up with Be4, trying to exchange off the Black piece defending e4 and Black is left with a difficult position. Now not only can Black defend but the h-file falls under his control and the combination of Rook and Bishop set up dangerous threats to the White king. 19 --- hxg6 20. Ng5 Rh8 21. Qg4 Nf5 22. Bxf5 exf5 23. Qg3 Rh5 24. f4 Rah8 25. e6 cxd4 26. exf7 Bd5 27. Re8? ---
Much stronger is 27 cxd4 Bxf7 with a roughly level position. Black should not grab two rooks for the queen as after 27... Rh1+?! 28 Kf2 Qc2+ 29 Re2 Qxe2+ 30 Kxe2 Rxa1 31 Qc3 Ra2+ 32 Kd3 White's queen, knight and f-pawn create dangerous threats e.g. 32... Rf8 33 Ne6+! Bxe6 34 d5+ Kxf7 35 dxe6+ Kxe6 36 Qc4+ winning the Ra2. The alternative 27 ...Qc2 28 Nh3 Qxg2+ 29 Qxg2 Bxg2 30 Ng5 Bd5 31 Re8! Rh4 is also equal. 27. --- Qc5! 28. Rxh8?! ---
White is not completely gone after 28 Kf2 dxc3+ but the situation is relatively dire. 28. --- dxc3+ 29. Qf2 ---
White must enter an endgame which he should lose. The alternative is 29 Kf1 Bc4+ 30 Ke1 Qg1#. 30. --- Qxf2+ 30. Kxf2 Rxh8 31. Rc1 Rc8 32. Ke3 Bxf7 33. Kd3 Bd5 34. g3 c2
Keeping the c2-pawn as after 35 Rxc2 Be4+ 36 Nxe4 fxe4+ 37 Kd2 Rxc2+ 38 Kxc2 Black wins the pawn endgame with Kf6! 39 g4 g5! 40 f5 b5 41 Kd2 a5 42 Ke3 Ke5 43 f6 Kxf6 44 Kxe4 b4 43 a4 b3 -+. 35. Kd2 Be4 36. Ke3 Rc4 37. g4 b5
If 38 Nxe4 fxe4 39 Kd2 a5 40 Rxc2 Rxc2+ 41 Kxc2 a4 42 Kc3 Kf6 and the Black pawns are safe because of the trick 43 Kb4 e3 44 Kc3 b4+ 45 axb4 a3 -+ and one of them queens. 38. Ne6+ Kf6 39. Nd4 Rc3+ 40. Ke2 Rxa3 41. g5+ Kf7 42. Kf2 Rd3
Winning the knight after 43 Nxc2 Rd2+ 44 Ke3 Rxc2.
Wellington winner to play in Dunedin
Problem: White to play and mate in 3.
The Otago Chess Club is playing host to the strongest tournament held in Dunedin for nearly a decade with the 2007 Queen's Birthday Weekend Open. 40 players throughout the country are registered to play in the event which is doubling as a celebration of 50 years of competitive chess at club level and beyond for local FM Richard Sutton.
Of those aiming for the $1500 first prize will be the joint winner of the Wellington Easter Open in April. Nic Croad has regularly journeyed South to compete in the Dunedin event and will be seeking his third consecutive victory. He shared first place in Wellington with FM Stephen Lukey on 5/6, a result that should earn Croad the Fide Master title. Next were Peter Stuart and Daniel Baider equal third on 4½, while sharing fifth in the field of 33 were Ross Jackson, Brian Nijman, Justin Davis and Fuatai Fuatai all on 4 points. Stuart, Jackson and Nijman will also be among the starters on Queen's Birthday.
Today's game is the critical round 5 match-up between Lukey and Croad (Black) in Wellington. The annotations were kindly provided by the winner.
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nf3 b6
4. a3 Bb7
5. Nc3 d5
6. cxd5 Nxd5
7. Qc2 Be7
8. e4 Nxc3
9. bxc3 O-O
10. Bd3 c5
11. O-O Qc7
12. Qe2 Re8?!
The start of a passive and dubious plan. Now White gets a dangerous attacking position.
13. Re1 g6
14. h4 Bf6
15. Bh6 Nc6
16. e5 Bg7
17. Bxg7 Kxg7
18. h5 Ne7
19. hxg6? ---
I did not consider the White attack threatening if I could exchange my light squared bishop for the knight on f3, so 19 Ng5 preserves the valuable attacking piece. White can follow up with Be4, trying to exchange off the Black piece defending e4 and Black is left with a difficult position. Now not only can Black defend but the h-file falls under his control and the combination of Rook and Bishop set up dangerous threats to the White king.
19 --- hxg6
20. Ng5 Rh8
21. Qg4 Nf5
22. Bxf5 exf5
23. Qg3 Rh5
24. f4 Rah8
25. e6 cxd4
26. exf7 Bd5
27. Re8? ---
Much stronger is 27 cxd4 Bxf7 with a roughly level position. Black should not grab two rooks for the queen as after 27... Rh1+?! 28 Kf2 Qc2+ 29 Re2 Qxe2+ 30 Kxe2 Rxa1 31 Qc3 Ra2+ 32 Kd3 White's queen, knight and f-pawn create dangerous threats e.g. 32... Rf8 33 Ne6+! Bxe6 34 d5+ Kxf7 35 dxe6+ Kxe6 36 Qc4+ winning the Ra2. The alternative 27 ...Qc2 28 Nh3 Qxg2+ 29 Qxg2 Bxg2 30 Ng5 Bd5 31 Re8! Rh4 is also equal.
27. --- Qc5!
28. Rxh8?! ---
White is not completely gone after 28 Kf2 dxc3+ but the situation is relatively dire.
28. --- dxc3+
29. Qf2 ---
White must enter an endgame which he should lose. The alternative is 29 Kf1 Bc4+ 30 Ke1 Qg1#.
30. --- Qxf2+
30. Kxf2 Rxh8
31. Rc1 Rc8
32. Ke3 Bxf7
33. Kd3 Bd5
34. g3 c2
Keeping the c2-pawn as after 35 Rxc2 Be4+ 36 Nxe4 fxe4+ 37 Kd2 Rxc2+ 38 Kxc2 Black wins the pawn endgame with Kf6! 39 g4 g5! 40 f5 b5 41 Kd2 a5 42 Ke3 Ke5 43 f6 Kxf6 44 Kxe4 b4 43 a4 b3 -+.
35. Kd2 Be4
36. Ke3 Rc4
37. g4 b5
If 38 Nxe4 fxe4 39 Kd2 a5 40 Rxc2 Rxc2+ 41 Kxc2 a4 42 Kc3 Kf6 and the Black pawns are safe because of the trick 43 Kb4 e3 44 Kc3 b4+ 45 axb4 a3 -+ and one of them queens.
38. Ne6+ Kf6
39. Nd4 Rc3+
40. Ke2 Rxa3
41. g5+ Kf7
42. Kf2 Rd3
Winning the knight after 43 Nxc2 Rd2+ 44 Ke3 Rxc2.
0-1
Solution: 1 Qxf6+! Bxf6 2 Bxf6+ Kg8 3 Nh6#